Grass is Sabz! Sabzeh is Green! Or: How to Grow Sabzeh (for NoRooz)

Sabzeh, symbolizing birth and growth, is an integral part of the Persian New Year’s Haft Seen spread.

It’s such an optimistic gesture: coddling a seed and coaxing sprouts out of it! Don’t you think?

Growing sabzeh is a cheap thrill and the effort involved is minimal. Seeds really want to sprout. You’d have to try quite hard to disappoint them.

You don’t have to observe Easter or Norooz to grow sprouts either – it does a soul good to grow some green just for the plain pleasure of it. It makes for an engaging kid-friendly activity as well. And of course, it’d be perfect for Earth Day.

Some type of container: i.e. a jar, plate, shallow bowl. (The plate-with-a-ribbon-around-it is kind of boring. Don’t you think? Get creative and have fun! Just keep in mind that your container-of-choice does have to allow the seedlings to receive light and it has to withstand frequent watering, i.e. don’t use a cardboard box. Any and all types of shallow ramekin would work wonderfully.)

Several paper towel sheets

Strainer (helpful tool but not essential)

Scissors (may come in handy)

Water and sunlight!

Important note: Over-watering is a kiss of death for sabzeh and a rookie mistake. Whenever following directions re watering, keep in mind that the operative verb here is “to sprinkle” not “to drench.” Moral of the story: you want the seeds to be moist and well-hydrated but never soggy. If you accidentally over-water, tip container over to drain excess water.

Soak seeds in water for 24 to 48 hours. Change the water 1-3 times a day.

(Sweet-talking to the seeds is optional but scientifically proven to brighten their outlook on life. It’s up to you. You do want to give them a good head-start. Don’t you?)

Drain seeds, then spread them on a paper towel. (You may detect that the seeds are now sporting the barest hints of white sprouts. Rejoice!)

Once you tire of fondly gazing at the seeds, bundle them up in that same paper towel.

The bundle should be moist to the touch. If not, sprinkle with water.

Place bundle in a plate (or bowl, or whatever) and let it sit (in an area exposed to direct sunlight to expedite growth of sprouts) for another 24-48 hours and sprinkle it a few times a day – as necessary- to maintain it well-hydrated. (A good technique is to douse it liberally with water, then holding hand against the bundle, tip the container to drain the excess water.)

On day 5 it’s time to unwrap the bundle. By this time, you will notice that your seeds are sprouting in earnest. (Oh joy!) The lentils in particular will most certainly be growing long white tendrils. It’s now time to coddle the seeds, which is done in 3 steps:

1) Line the bottom of your jar (or whatever is your container of choice) with a paper towel cut to fit it. (The paper towel provides a surface for the roots to grab a hold of and acts as a soil of sorts.)

2) Layer the sprouting seeds inside the jar (or bowl, or plate, or whatever is your container of choice) on top of the paper towel. Spread seeds evenly, so as to avoid bald spots! Thickness of the layer depends on the depth of your container. You don’t want a thin bed of seeds but also avoid piling it on too thick as it will suffocate the seeds. A 1/2 -3/4 inch spread is a good bet in general.

3) Cover seeds with a moist paper towel.

Coddle seeds in this condition for two days, during which time you should water them at least 3 times a day to keep them well-hydrated.

By day 7 your seeds should have officially sprouted. Totally adorable! It’s time for the seedlings to come out from their cover and face the brave new world. Discard the paper towel cover and place your jar to bask openly in the sun. Water as needed. (A good watering in the morning and at night should suffice.)

You did it! Now just sit back and watch it grow. And grow. And grow! Where it stops … nobody knows.

Well actually, in the Iranian culture, on Sizdah Beh’dar (the 13th day of Norooz) sabzeh will meet its eventual even-if-untimely demise in a ceremonial manner. But ssshhh, let’s not upset the seedlings and mention that yet.

And that’s all folks. Go forth and sprout.

(And yes, I borrowed a good bit of copy from last year’s post. Don’t judge! I am just being green. Recycling is good for the environment and it is also good for the preservation of blogger sanity. What remains of it. The pictures are all spanking brand new though. So there.)

37 thoughts on “Grass is Sabz! Sabzeh is Green! Or: How to Grow Sabzeh (for NoRooz)”

Love it. To see anything growing here at this time of year is just so heartening. Disappointed that my one and only hyacinth sprouted beautiful green leaves – only to grow so tall they fell over! And, you’ve guessed it, no flower. Ouch, serves me right for forgetting about it.

I don’t have a green thumb but I will give this a try. I have some lentils. I kill any plant that comes into my home. I do love sprouts and this will be a great way to try and grow my own, good tutorial, very well explained and good step by step instructions,

Hi Azita!
-Photos are so~ cute and your instructions hilarious. Thank you for bringing joy with every post of yours.
What is the next joy you’re bringing us?
-My sabzeh post is ready but will be posted on Wednesday, along with my recipe posts.
P.S. I may have missed reading… what is that black thing in the egg holder?

Thank you for your kind words Suzanne & Johnny and Fae joon & Chef Mimi! Re the black thing in the egg holder (ha ha, what a funny thing to write) … I’m tickled that it’s roused the curiosity and to answer you, it is: a rock! An egg-shaped rock. A rock of substance!

Super belated reply (sorry!) to say that on the 13th and last day of Norooz celebration, there is a national day of picnic where families take the sabzeh outdoors along with them and get rid of it. It is called Sizdah Bedar.

I’m not Persian but I’m married to a Persian and raising our children with haft sin traditions. Every year I buy something suitable for the sabzi. This year I saw your post on pinterest & decided to give it a try since I had lentils in the pantry. I. Can. Not. Believe. It’s. Working!!! I’m on day 6 and see green. Thank you!

Hello hello! Sorry for the super belated reply – for some reason I’m just seeing comments on these posts now. I hope by now you are an experienced master of sabzeh growing and that you’re about to start your Norooz sabzeh soon. You should try your hand at sprouting wheat as well, if you feel like experimenting.
Thank you for commenting and Happy Norooz!
🙂

Dear Melody, I am so sorry that I missed your comment when posted! It is way past the time when it would be relevant and useful for you to know, but just in case you’re creating a Nowruz table again, as early as possible this week would be the best time to start to have sprouts in time for Norooz (spring equinox)